Children's Intensive Services

(CIS)

About the Service

Children's Intensive Services (CIS) provides mental health services to children aged 5 to 12 years. Children are referred by their clinician to the service to obtain additional supports to manage their behaviour, to seek diagnostic clarification and/or medication review.

What Happens in the Service

Depending on the child's needs, children may be assigned to the residential or day treatment component. The service runs five days a week for four months. The children who stay overnight arrive Sunday evening and leave Friday afternoon. The children in the day stream attend program from 8:15am - 3:15pm daily from Monday to Friday. Part way through the program, the children will begin to attend their community school one day a week.

How We Help

Children's Intensive Services (CIS) uses a Collaborative Problem Solving Model which focuses on the child's strengths and the skills they need to be successful in their everyday life. This is accomplished through group and individual interactions with staff, which is offered in areas such as emotional regulation, problem solving, social skills, life skills, recreation and relaxation. The children also have an opportunity to participate in weekly outings in the community. Attendance at the therapeutic classroom assists the child in learning skills to be successful in their community school.

A key component is the work that is undertaken with parents and caregivers in helping them understand and address their child's challenges and to participate in treatment decisions. Parents attend meetings with staff and are required to participate in a weekly parenting group. Transition support workers visit with families in their home providing support to the parent-child interactions in the home on a weekly basis and within the Children's Intensive Services location, as appropriate.

Referring clinicians play an essential part in periodic reviews and discharge planning and remain involved through the admission.